Illumination devices having light-emitting diodes are increasingly being used in general lighting on account of their high efficiency and falling manufacturing costs. On account of their small size, the actual light-emitting diodes are in this situation mostly arranged on a support element, on which in addition can be arranged further elements such as for example other light-emitting diodes, feed lines or circuits.
In this situation, the LED lamps which are preferably employed in order to replace existing conventional lamps such as for example incandescent lamps or fluorescent lamps without needing to make changes here to the luminaire or the holder represent a special form of the illumination devices. With regard to LED lamps, the support element with one or more light-emitting diodes is fitted on a conventional base, whereby in order to convert the line voltage to the supply voltage for the LED an electrical circuit is for the most part also provided.
Such so-called retrofit solutions are preferably intended to be evocative in their appearance of the known incandescent lamps and therefore for the most part also have a bulb which encloses the support element and the light-emitting diodes and is similar in its form to the known structural shapes of conventional incandescent lamps.
A disadvantage of illumination devices in accordance with the prior art and here in particular of LED lamps is however the fact that the heat produced during operation of the LED can only be inadequately dissipated. Although a support element having a high thermal conductivity is frequently chosen, made of copper or aluminum for example, in order to dissipate the heat directly from the LEDs, an insulating layer must however in this case be arranged between LED and support element, said insulating layer diminishing the thermal conduction and increasing the manufacturing costs.